Hoekstra: I’d ‘Prefer’ To Tell Cheney To ‘Kind Of Back Off’ Obama

Days after the failed Christmas Day terror attack on an airliner over Detroit, former Vice President Dick Cheney attacked President Obama for what he called a “low key response” and for giving “terrorists the rights of Americans.”

Today on C-Span’s Washington Journal, a caller asked Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) what he thought of Cheney’s rush to judgement. “What do you think about Dick Cheney coming out and calling Obama weak like the same day or the day after that Christmas attack?” he asked. While Hoekstra said he would “prefer” to tell Cheney to keep quiet, he just couldn’t quite bring himself to do it:

HOEKSTRA: I might prefer at this point in time to say, Mr. Vice President, Mr. Cheney, you know, just kind of back off, I understand why the Vice President is speaking because I think he’s proud of the track record, it’s an imperfect track record on some of these national security [issues] but it was a clearly focused effort.

Watch it:

Hoekstra has also come out swinging at Obama, politicizing the event with baseless attacksjust hours after the failed Christmas Day plot, well before Cheney chimed in. Hoekstra even tried to raise money of the failed attack.

But perhaps Hoekstra is afraid to tell Cheney what he really thinks. The Washington Post reported last May that Cheney’s attacks have “caused queasiness” among Republicans, but they’re “not willing to take him on in public.” In fact, just after the failed terror attack on Christmas, many agreed with Obama’s response but “were reluctant to say so on record” worried that “they would draw the ire of Cheney’s circle if they did.”